11562 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 43 / Tuesday, March 4, 2008 / Rules and Regulations 

substantially affect the rights or 

obligations of non-agency parties. 

Accordingly, pursuant to the 

authority contained in § 0.231(b) of the 

Commission’s rules, 47 CFR 0.231 (b), it 

is hereby ordered, that, effective on 

March 4, 2008, the Fee Schedule 

contained in § 0.467 of the 

Commission’s rules, 47 CFR 0.467, is 

amended, as described herein. 

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 0 

Freedom of information. 

Federal Communications Commission. 

Anthony J. Dale, 

Managing Director. 

Rule Changes 

■ For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, the Federal Communications 

Commission amends 47 CFR part 0 as 

follows: 

PART 0—COMMISSION 

ORGANIZATION 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 0 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: Sec. 5, 48 Stat. 1068, as 

amended; 47 U.S.C. 155, 225, unless 

otherwise noted. 

■ 2. Section 0.467 is amended by 

revising the table following paragraph 

(a)(1) and its note, and by revising 

paragraph (a)(2) to read as follows: 

§ 0.467 Search and review fees. 

(a)(1) * * * 

Grade Hourly 

fee 

GS–1 ............................................... $13.43 

GS–2 ............................................... 14.62 

GS–3 ............................................... 16.48 

GS–4 ............................................... 18.49 

GS–5 ............................................... 20.69 

GS–6 ............................................... 23.06 

GS–7 ............................................... 25.63 

GS–8 ............................................... 28.38 

GS–9 ............................................... 31.36 

GS–10 ............................................. 34.52 

GS–11 ............................................. 37.93 

GS–12 ............................................. 45.47 

GS–13 ............................................. 54.06 

GS–14 ............................................. 63.89 

GS–15 ............................................. 75.14 

Note: These fees will be modified 

periodically to correspond with 

modifications in the rate of pay approved by 

Congress. 

(2) The fees in paragraph (a)(1) of this 

section were computed at Step 5 of each 

grade level based on the General 

Schedule effective January 2008 and 

include 20 percent for personnel 

benefits. 

* * * * * 

[FR Doc. E8–4129 Filed 3–3–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 679 

[Docket No. 070213033–7033–01] 

RIN 0648–XF95 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of 

Pacific Cod in the Bering Sea and 

Aleutian Islands Management Area 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; reallocation. 

SUMMARY: NMFS is reallocating the 

projected unused amount of Pacific cod 

from vessels using jig gear to catcher 

vessels less than 60 feet (< 18.3 meters 

(m)) length overall (LOA) using pot or 

hook-and-line gear in the Bering Sea 

and Aleutian Islands management area 

(BSAI). This action is necessary to allow 

the A season apportionment of the 2008 

total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific 

cod to be harvested. 

DATES: Effective February 28, 2008, 

through 2400 hrs, Alaska local time 

(A.l.t.), December 31, 2008. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jennifer Hogan, 907–586–7228. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS 

manages the groundfish fishery in the 

BSAI according to the Fishery 

Management Plan for Groundfish of the 

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands 

Management Area (FMP) prepared by 

the North Pacific Fishery Management 

Council under authority of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act. 

Regulations governing fishing by U.S. 

vessels in accordance with the FMP 

appear at subpart H of 50 CFR part 600 

and 50 CFR part 679. 

The A season apportionment of the 

2008 Pacific cod TAC specified for 

vessels using jig gear in the BSAI is 

1,281 metric tons (mt) as established by 

the 2008 and 2009 final harvest 

specifications for groundfish in the 

BSAI (73 FR 10160, February 26, 2008), 

for the period 1200 hrs, A.l.t., January 

1, 2008, through 1200 hrs, A.l.t., April 

30, 2008. See § 679.20(a)(7)(ii)(A), 

§ 679.20(c)(3)(iii), and § 679.20(c)(5). 

The Acting Administrator, Alaska 

Region, NMFS, has determined that jig 

vessels will not be able to harvest 1,200 

mt of the A season apportionment of the 

2008 Pacific cod TAC allocated to those 

vessels under § 679.20(a)(7)(ii)(A)(1). 

Therefore, in accordance with 

§ 679.20(a)(7)(iii)(A), NMFS apportions 

1,200 mt of Pacific cod from the A 

season jig gear apportionment to catcher 

vessels < 60 feet (18.3 m) LOA using pot 

or hook-and-line gear. 

The harvest specifications for Pacific 

cod included in the harvest 

specifications for groundfish in the 

BSAI (73 FR 10160, February 26, 2008) 

are revised as follows: 81 mt to the A 

season apportionment for vessels using 

jig gear and 4,233 mt to catcher vessels 

< 60 feet (18.3 m) LOA using pot or 

hook-and-line gear. 

Classification 

This action responds to the best 

available information recently obtained 

from the fishery. The Assistant 

Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA 

(AA), finds good cause to waive the 

requirement to provide prior notice and 

opportunity for public comment 

pursuant to the authority set forth at 5 

U.S.C. 553(b)(B) as such requirement is 

impracticable and contrary to the public 

interest. This requirement is 

impracticable and contrary to the public 

interest as it would prevent NMFS from 

responding to the most recent fisheries 

data in a timely fashion and would 

delay the reallocation of Pacific cod 

specified from jig vessels to catcher 

vessels < 60 feet (18.3 m) LOA using pot 

or hook-and-line gear. Since the fishery 

is currently open, it is important to 

immediately inform the industry as to 

the revised allocations. Immediate 

notification is necessary to allow for the 

orderly conduct and efficient operation 

of this fishery, to allow the industry to 

plan for the fishing season, and to avoid 

potential disruption to the fishing fleet 

as well as processors. NMFS was unable 

to publish a notice providing time for 

public comment because the most 

recent, relevant data only became 

available as of February 25, 2008. 

The AA also finds good cause to 

waive the 30-day delay in the effective 

date of this action under 5 U.S.C. 

553(d)(3). This finding is based upon 

the reasons provided above for waiver of 

prior notice and opportunity for public 

comment. 

This action is required by § 679.20 

and is exempt from review under 

Executive Order 12866. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with RULES
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 43 / Tuesday, March 4, 2008 / Rules and Regulations 11563 

Dated: February 27, 2008. 

James P. Burgess 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 08–931 Filed 2–28–08; 1:48 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 697 

[Docket No. 070717344–8150–01; I.D. 

041907A] 

RIN 0648–AV44 

Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative 

Management Act Provisions; Weakfish 

Fishery 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: NMFS issues this final rule to 

decrease the incidental catch allowance 

for weakfish caught in the Exclusive 

Economic Zone (EEZ) from 300 lb (135 

kg) to no more than 150 lb (67 kg) per 

day or trip, whichever is longer in 

duration. The intent of this final rule is 

to modify regulations for the Atlantic 

coast stock of weakfish to be consistent 

with the Atlantic States Marine 

Fisheries Commission’s (Commission) 

Interstate Fishery Management Plan 

(ISFMP) for weakfish, as set forth in the 

Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative 

Management Act (Atlantic Coastal Act). 

DATES: Effective April 3, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of supporting 

documents are available from Chris 

Moore, Chief, Partnerships and 

Communications Division (SF8), Office 

of Sustainable Fisheries, National 

Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 EastWest Highway, Suite 13317, Silver 

Spring, MD 20910. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Brian Hooker, 301–713–2334. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The Commission approved 

Addendum II to Amendment 4 of the 

Weakfish ISFMP in February 2007. 

Included in the management measures 

for this addendum was a reduction of 

the bycatch limit of weakfish in 

commercial fisheries from 300 lb (135 

kg) to 150 lb (67 kg). These measures 

were developed in response to recent 

stock assessment data that suggested 

low weakfish biomass. While the 

reduced bycatch provision would not 

itself resolve the biomass issue, the 

Commission thought it a measure that 

might potentially slow the decline and 

have some positive effect. A more 

detailed discussion of the stock 

assessment and Commission action is 

set forth in the proposed rule for this 

action that was published in the Federal 

Register on June 14, 2007 (72 FR 32830). 

NMFS analyzed the Commission’s 

bycatch recommendation and similarly 

concluded that although the measure 

would not itself remedy the low 

weakfish biomass, the recommendation 

appeared reasonable, prudent and 

positive. The measure would also 

support the Commission’sWeakfish 

ISFMP and, importantly, would further 

the consistency between State and 

Federal weakfish regulations. 

Comments and Responses 

NMFS received no public comments 

on the proposed rule for this action. 

Classification 

This final rule is published under the 

authority of the Atlantic Coastal 

Fisheries Cooperative Management Act 

(Atlantic Coastal Act). Paragraphs (A) 

and (B) of section 804(b) (1) of the 

Atlantic Coastal Act, 16 U.S.C. 5103(a)- 

(b), authorizes the Secretary of 

Commerce to implement regulations in 

the EEZ in the absence of a MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation 

Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens 

Act) fishery management plan. Such 

regulations must be compatible with the 

effective implementation of a 

Commission’s ISFMP, and consistent 

with the national standards set forth in 

section 301 of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act. 

The Assistant Administrator for 

Fisheries has determined that this 

action is compatible with the effective 

implementation of the Commission’s 

ISFMP for weakfish and consistent with 

the national standards of the MagnusonStevens Act. 

The Chief Counsel for Regulation of 

the Department of Commerce certified 

to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the 

Small Business Administration during 

the proposed rule stage that this action 

would not have a significant economic 

impact on a substantial number of small 

entities. The factual basis for the 

certification was published in the 

proposed rule and is not repeated here. 

No comments were received regarding 

this certification. As a result, a 

regulatory flexibility analysis was not 

required and none was prepared. 

This final rule has been determined to 

be not significant for the purposes of 

Executive Order 12866. 

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 697 

Fisheries, Fishing. 

Dated: February 28, 2008. 

Samuel D. Rauch III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

■ For the reasons set out in the 

preamble, 50 CFR part 697, is amended 

as follows: 

PART 697—ATLANTIC COASTAL 

FISHERIES COOPERATIVE 

MANAGEMENT 

■ 1. The authority citation for 50 CFR 

part 697 continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 5101 et seq. 

■ 2. In § 697.7, paragraph (a) (4) is 

revised to read as follows: 

§ 697.7 Prohibitions. 

(a) * * * 

(4) Possess more than 150 lb (67 kg) 

of weakfish during any one day or trip, 

whichever islonger, in the EEZ when 

using a mesh size less than 3 1/4–inch 

(8.3 cm) square stretch mesh(as 

measured between the centers of 

opposite knots when stretched taut) or 

3 3/4–inch (9.5cm) diamond stretch 

mesh for finfish trawls and 2 7/8–inch 

(7.3 cm) stretch mesh for gillnets. 

* * * * * 

[FR Doc. E8–4122 Filed 3–3–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with RULES